Western Skies
by A Life In Color
Summary: Robert and Karen have planned a huge surprise for Sarah and Toby, a family road trip with a special surprise destination. What chaos will ensue on the Williams family summer road trip. And what exactly will this surprise destination hold in store for our dear Sarah?
1. Chapter 1

**Hey y'all! So I've had this idea rolling in my head for a while, I can't tell you exactly why right now or it will completely give away the 'surprise' in the story. What I can tell you though is that lots of fluff will ensue, and it is probably the first story I've written with so much inspiration taken from myself, my own road trips, and my own interests. I hope you all enjoy! If you do please leave a review and I'll continue!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Henson characters. I don't own nor am I sponsored by any of the companies I may mention.**

* * *

"Hey Sarah?" Robert called up to her room.

"Yeah Dad?" Sarah yelled back, not really wanting to leave the comfort of her bed she so dearly missed.

"Why don't you come down here, Karen and I have a surprise for you and Toby."

Sarah let her legs slide over the edge of her bed, she stayed several seconds longer before forcing herself to her feet. Making her way downstairs she heard Toby coming, and before she had a second to react she was pummeled by her not so little baby brother. Now a young teen, 12 years old. They both crashed to the ground.

"Come over here to the table you two." Karen said laughing. "Now, you're father and I have some great news to tell you both, you ready?" Karen looked at Robert with anticipation.

"We're going on a family road trip!" They both said in unison.

Sarah and Toby looked at each other and then at their parents. Sarah was nervous about this 'family road trip' idea, Toby was mixed between 'I'll have a cool story to tell my friends' and 'oh god I have to leave my game console!'.

Both Karen and Robert looked at their kids respectively, "Well? This is going to be so much fun!" Karen clasped her hands to her chest.

Sarah looked at Toby who was still frozen, his young teenage mind taking its time processing the information. She spoke up, obvious that her brother wasn't going to. "Uh, where are we road-tripping to?" She asked.

"Good question!" Karen was unfazed by Sarah and Toby's reactions. After Sarah's stint in the Labyrinth she had reconciled with her stepmother, who actually turned out to be really fun. It was still awkward for a while, but over time they became close in a way she knew she never would have been if Karen were her biological mother. Now Sarah called her mom and basically filled her in right where her real mother had left off when she left. Karen was beaming right now, and Robert was all smiles as well. "Well, were going somewhere around here..." she said, unfolding a large United States map, placing her manicured finger over the western side of Montana. "And before you ask what we're doing here…"

"Well, that's a surprise as well!" Robert picked up where Karen had left off.

"Okay, well… If I can't ask that, then I guess the question is when are we leaving?" Sarah was intrigued, she had always heard things about Montana, both good and bad, but more good. Toby still sat in a wide-eyed stupor.

"Monday morning at 4:00 AM sharp!" Robert answered. "Which means you two should get packing, because its Saturday night right now! Oh, and pack more jeans and sweatshirts that usual, as well as some boots, and not fancy ones. Sturdy sneakers will work as well, Toby."

Sarah's mind was racing with possibilities, it settled on camping, they were going camping. That seemed so unlike Karen, yet she had her moments. Sarah elbowed Toby, who had yet to say anything. "You heard 'em! Let's get packing!" Sarah laughed when she pulled Toby out of his chair and toward the stairs.

"But my video games…" Was all he mumbled as they marched upstairs.

"This is going to be one hell of an adventure." Robert shook his head and laughed a bit.

* * *

Sarah had pulled a big suitcase from her closet along with her big duffle bag, sizing them up to figure how long it would take her to fit everything she would need and then some. Much of her clothing was still not unpacked from cardboard boxes she had just brought back from dorm living. Now 25 and finally finished getting her doctorate in psychology, she was looking to find a job and was still living at home. She dumped all the contents out of her boxes and started looking through what she would need to wash before packing and what was good to put in her suitcase. She started making piles, being the Type-A person she was. Planning an outfit for every day, and packing those garments together. She eventually slid down to the carpet and laid by her suitcase in surrender.

"Saaarahhhhhhh?!" Came a pre-pubescent voice from down the hall. Sarah picked herself up from the floor and walked to Toby's room where the only progress her brother had made in packing was tossing some socks into his bag. He looked at her with pathetic puppy eyes, begging for her to pack the rest of his clothes for him.

Sarah rolled her eyes and set to work. She rooted around his drawers for some t-shirts leaning on the shabbier side, making a pile of them ready to compress into the case. She then pulled out all the jeans Toby had, placing them all neatly into his suitcase as well. Toby wasn't too caught up in appearances, much to his mother's disdain.

"See, not hard at all." Sarah said, more to herself than to Toby, as he was entranced by his game.

That evening Sarah struck up conversation about the road trip, noting that Karen and Robert were being very vague. She really wanted answers. Where exactly where they going? What were they going to do while there? What was the temperature supposed to be like? Their lips were sealed though.

After dinner had finished Karen and Sarah sat on the back porch enjoying the cool evening air. Washington was still a great temperature around the summer, not to cold, but not to warm either.

"So, Sarah, I know I haven't asked this in a while, but have you at least thought of maybe dating?" Her stepdaughter was 25 now, and had barely shown interest in anything but school.

Sarah sighed, "You have done a great job avoiding the topic, thank you very much. I hate to disappoint but no, no prince charming. My standards are high though. Everyone wanting prince charming, but I want a king. I just have too high of standards I guess!" Sarah joked, but there was a truth to her statement. One she kept even from herself except for in dreams.

Soon after they had finished talking a bit more it started sprinkling. Karen ran inside, but Sarah just stood against the rail in her t-shirt and pajama shorts. Soon the sprinkle turned into a pour as the rain washed down. It was the closest thing to magic she knew of. She twirled in the rain, letting it drench every inch of her. By the time she went back inside she was thoroughly soaked and her fingers and toes were numb. Karen immediately scolded Sarah for coming into the house with wet feet and making a slight mess of her freshly cleaned tile floor, but it wasn't without a warm, fluffy towel, right out of the drier. Sarah absorbed the heat from the towel in exchange for it absorbing the water. She decided maybe it was time to take a warm shower.

* * *

Later that night Sarah lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, listening to the rain hit the roof, imagining what adventures awaited her. She was excited even if it meant she had to leave the bed she had only recently come back to. Several long moments later Sarah gave up and decided to do something she hadn't done since her Christmas break, call on her friends.

The mirror in her room rippled and Hoggle and Ludo appeared. Hoggle grumbled about her not calling on them in so long, but his mood only lasted seconds as they went right back into their normal pattern. Sarah sat curled up in her fluffy purple bean bag in the corner of her room, Hoggle and Ludo sat around her while they chatted and caught up.

"Hoggle, where is Sir Didymus?" She inquired.

"Uh, well 'es on assignment from the rat. Important stuff 'e had ta do." Hoggle quickly answered.

"Hmm, well that's a shame. If you seem him let him know that I would enjoy a game of scrabble with him, well, not until I get back that is." Sarah remembered her trip plans.

"What does ya mean? You've already been gone fer a long time, and now yer leavin again?" Hoggle hadn't fully forgiven Sarah apparently.

"Oh! I forgot to mention that. Karen and my father have planned a road trip for the family. It ought to be an adventure. I'm sure there will be endless hours of stories to share with you all when I get back."

"When does ya leave?"

"The day after tomorrow, 4 am sharp!" Sarah noted with a hint of sarcasm. She was not fond of early mornings.

"We should have a sendin off party for ya!" Hoggle exclaimed, and Ludo nodded in agreement.

"Oh, you don't have to do that for me. How about a returning party, and I'll be able to tell all of my stories to everyone who wants to come" As much as Sarah would love to see her friends she would love even more to get an early bed time. "Well, everyone who is invited who wants to come." She mentioned with almost a sad note, her thoughts drifting to the truth she mentioned earlier.

Sarah yawned, as much as she would love to spend more time with Hoggle and Ludo, she needed to get some rest. After she sent off the two and crawled back into her bed, drifting into sweet dreams.

* * *

 **Thanks a million for reading! I hope y'all review and are in need of a little fluffiness!**


	2. Chapter 2

**I hope you enjoyed the first chapter, it was pretty short, and this one isn't too much longer, but hopefully you wish to continue reading along! Fluff ahead!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own anything of the Labyrinth or any part of Henson's characters.**

* * *

Sunday had passed in a whirl, starting late and ending later than Sarah had hoped. Karen's last-minute grocery trip took longer than expected, the amount she brought back was more than expected, and the time it took to sort through everything and decide what was and wasn't going took even longer. By the end of the night they had finally packed everything they'd be needing into the back of the car and on top of it. An adult version of Tetris.

Sarah flopped back onto the couch with a couple of warm cookies stolen from the tray Karen had pulled out of the oven. Of course, she was making nearly 3 dozen for the ride. "You know…" Sarah said between mouthfuls "This much sugar for Toby, who has to sit for that long in a seatbelt… isn't the greatest idea."

"No, but we don't do this often, so why not?" Karen scooped more cookies onto the tray and slid them into the oven.

"I just hope he doesn't get sick this time." Sarah picked crumbs from her shirt and stood up. "I should get to bed or you're going to have to carry me to the car in the morning."

"Alright, get some sleep! Tomorrow will be a long day!"

Sarah yawned and went up the stairs; ignoring, but not missing, the tiny shadows running back towards her room. "Hey Karen, you might want to but the cookies in the car tonight." She shouted down before she reached the top. She heard the shadows grumble and whisper, but she walked into her room all the same.

Flicking the light on she was surprised with the mess before her eyes. "No, no! I told you no. I'm going to bed and you're all leaving." She growled at the group who had gathered in her room, the goblins only heard Hoggle saying they should have a party the previous night, they didn't hear he and Sarah agree that the party would be held when she got back. Her room was a mess, paper confetti places it shouldn't possibly be, and some of her intimate items hanging from her bed posts and mirror. Sarah's eyes looked like they could eliminate anyone they landed upon.

"Out, now!" She pointed to the mirror. After the goblins protests they popped out of existence one by one. She felt somewhat bad. Usually she would entertain them, but tonight she needed her sleep. No ifs, ands, or buts about it.

* * *

" _Don't defy me..." Jareth held his hand out toward Sarah, trying to look menacing. He stepped toward her, Sarah didn't back down. "And what would you do if I did?" She asked, placing her hands on her hips. "There's many things I could do, I could toss you into the Bog, I could place you in an oubliette, I could kiss you, I could…" Jareth named several others, and Sarah pretended to consider. Jareth stood over her, smirk playing across his lips. Suddenly Sarah reached up, grabbing the Goblin King by the collar of his brown leather jacket, and pulling him down, crashing her lips to his. They broke apart, Jareth considering Sarah's move, "Well, you did defy me, but also used my own threat against me. Whatever am I supposed to do?" He held a hand to his face in shock. Sarah smiled up at Jareth, who grabbed her by the waist, and in one swift motion twirled her around and pinned her between himself and the wall. Sarah giggled into the kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck. "We've really got to stop meeting like this, I can think of much more romantic places than the tunnels." She felt his laugh more than heard it, the deep rumble of his chest. "Well apparently you like it here, because it's where we always end up..." Jareth's voice faded out as Sarah felt the rumble. "The cleaners…" Nope…._

Toby shook Sarah. "Sarah! Time to go!" Karen yelled up at her from the downstairs where she was pouring coffee into several large thermoses. Sarah rolled over and looked at her alarm clock, 3:58 am. It was still dark outside. She glared at Toby, who shuffled back out of her room closing the door on his way out. Sarah changed into the clothes she was wearing for the drive, then walked out of her room, and out of the house, and into the car, all in zombie mode. She didn't crash into anything out of pure luck and probably memorization of the house.

The car started and rumbled for a bit before she felt it lurch into motion. Leaving Tacoma at 4 am on the dot, just as her Father and Karen had hoped. By the time Sarah was fully awake they were near the Border of Tiger Mountain State Forest. She looked out the window as they rolled on through the scenery.

"Well, good morning!" Karen looked back at her from the front passenger seat. Sarah didn't move, just looking over at Karen, who had obviously had some of the coffee she poured earlier. Sarah made a noise, something like a groan and a grunt. Karen laughed and handed her one of the tumblers of coffee.

"Sooo, are we going to eat any time soon?" Toby questioned, the boy was a bottomless pit, yet never seemed to gain an ounce. Sarah was jealous of his problem, though she was fit and beautiful, she had to work to maintain that shape.

"Let's pull over and I'll get the chest out of the back and put it between you and Sarah on the floor."

It was a smaller, very beat up blue and white ice chest, but its contents made Toby happy. It doesn't matter what's on the outside, it's what's on the inside that counts. Some cold cut roll ups, a few lunchables, a bag of grapes, and juice packs. Toby grabbed two of the cold cut rolls and ate them like they were the last food on earth and someone were trying to steal it from him.

"Oh, and Sarah in the grocery bag right behind you is a box of canned peaches and some other things" Karen said, winking to Sarah. Sarah looked in the bag, not a fan of the canned peaches, but the bags of powdered and chocolate covered hostess doughnuts was calling her name. She looked to make sure Toby was back to his Nintendo game before opening the bag of chocolate doughnuts and grabbing a few.

They had made it to Spokane by a decent breakfast time, and stopped in at a Cracker Barrel restaurant. They finished their food, stretched a bit more, then loaded back into the car and were off again. "Not stopping unless absolutely necessary" said Robert in his rundown when they left home. He was determined to make it to the hotel in Bozeman that they were staying in tonight by before dinner time.

The trip across the Idaho pan handle passed so quickly Sarah barely realized that they had just gone through it. Now in Montana they were on the down-hill part of their somewhat uneventful road trip. Sarah enjoyed the quiet time, letting her imagination wander as she watched the landscape change. Toby's Nintendo died and, oh, what do you know, he didn't have a charger for it. He and Sarah took up a game of who could find the most animals. So far Toby had 3 antelope and 5 deer, Sarah had 4 antelope, 1 deer, and 3 grouse.

"Sarah that's not fair!" Toby complained. Sarah smiled, shrugging, and looking out the window, "Well Tobes? I guess that's just how it is." She looked back out "Buffalo!" She yelled. There were 5 or 6 grazing in the meadow they were driving past.

"I quit, it's no fun playing with you! You're always winning!" Toby pouted and crossed his arms.

"Well, I have a few years on you, and all you have to do is be patient and look." Sarah pointed out Toby's window.

"I don't see anything. There's nothing there but trees Sarah!" Toby swatted her hand away.

"Look… closer…" Sarah gritted between her teeth, she was about ready to give up on him.

"Wait, is that a… Deer?" Toby squinted, looking into the trees. Sure enough there stood a proud buck, his rack mixed into the tangle of low hanging limbs.

* * *

After what felt like eons, the Williams family pulled into the hotel in Bozeman they were staying at. Bozeman enraptured Sarah, it was all brick buildings, beautiful storefronts, boutiques, architecture firms. A college town if she ever saw one too. Nearly every window had a 'Go Bobcats!" sticker or banner.

"Now, only take in the clothes you're going to wear tomorrow, on our way to the final site. As well as pj's for tonight. We'll put everything in my bag to take in. Alrighty! Let's go!" Karen unlocked the doors of the car and all for Williams' got out, happy to be on solid ground. They found clothes just as Karen had instructed and all went to check in. After they received the room keys it was a battle to the room to choose the beds and who could get to the bathroom first. Sarah avoided the conflict all together by bringing in her own blanket and opting to sleep on the couch in the room, and using the restroom in the lobby before they went upstairs.

Once inside they all crashed and laid there unmoving for a long time. No one said a word, no one moved. Just sweet, sweet silence.

Robert broke the silence, gaining him a few groans and an irritated sigh from the rest of the family. "So, what should we do for dinner? Order pizza and have it delivered?" He was somewhat joking, but the idea was met with nodding heads from everyone, as no one wanted to go out again.

One large half pepperoni half veggie pizza later they were all happy and ready to wind down. Sarah continued to read the latest edition of American Journal of Psychology, Karen was deep into a Nicholas Sparks book, and Robert watched the weather channel on the TV. "Hey, I hope you all brought either a wind breaker or a heavy waterproof coat, it looks like we may get some rain and possibly snow Friday."

Karen and Sarah looked at each other over their books. Sarah couldn't remember if she did or not, she thought she packed her ski jacket but wasn't sure. She knew she packed her thermal stockings and plenty of things to layer though if worse came to worse.

She shrugged, it was around 6 when Toby, who was being unusually quiet, piped up. "I think we should go get ice cream! I saw a Cold Stone on our way in!"

"I'll go, anyone else want to go for a bit of a walk to stretch out before the night is up?" Sarah suggested.

"I'll stay here, you go have fun, but don't stay out to late because we're leaving at 8." Robert said, looking over his glasses at Sarah.

Karen thought about it for a second. "well, I do want to see a bit of the town, I'll go with you two." And so they went. The trio walked about 4 blocks to the ice cream place, they got their ice creams and sat outside. Once they were done the came back to the hotel on the opposite side of the street, window shopping all the way.

Back in the room Sarah showered and changed into her pajamas, curling up on the couch again, drifting to sleep.

* * *

 **Please review, tell me what you think, if it's a sleeper or if it's something worth reading. I've been wanting something out of the box and fluffy for a while now, and I haven't really found it, so i decided to write it myself. Next chapter is much longer and I can finally stop being so vague, it will also be a deciding chapter on whether or not you with to revisit this as I write or if you want to stop to save yourself now. ;)**


	3. Chapter 3

**This is the chapter that all the things kinda come together. i.e.: The Surprise.**

 **More notes to come at the end.**

 **As always: I don't own anything of the Labyrinth or it's characters.**

* * *

Sarah was filled with a sense of anxiety about the final-destination. She was excited no matter what, but something told her this was going to be really big.

"Just as long as no vengeful Goblin Kings or hoards of goblins mess it up, it will all be good." Sarah whispered to herself as she braided her hair into two long black braids. She brushed on a bit of mascara for good measure, no matter what situation life throws at you, a little mascara never hurts. She slipped into her jeans and sneakers and put on a Washington State University T-shirt.

"We can go eat breakfast down in the lobby, it's continental." Karen poked her head around the corner into the bathroom to tell Sarah.

"Okay, I'll take Toby if you want. We'll meet you down there?"

"Thanks, and make sure he doesn't drink too much orange juice or we'll have to stop, and we really don't have a lot of places between here and the place to use the bathroom."

Sarah nodded as she finished up in the bathroom mirror. "Alright Tobe, let's go get some breakfast!"

* * *

Sometime later Karen and Robert joined Toby and Sarah at a table. Toby was on his second plate of bacon and scrambled eggs because he "felt bad that mom and dad had to eat alone." Sarah rolled her eyes at his excuse. He was only her dear little brother, not her kid, so if he had a sore stomach later it wasn't her problem she figured.

"Alright gang, let's get going, we need to be there by 1:00, hopefully a little before though." Robert barely contained his smile, a cheshire cat grin.

Sarah had to pull Toby away from the table, or he would have readily gone back for a third plate of food. They loaded back into the car and got situated while Robert checked out. As soon as he was out they were off again, on their way to their destination.

"Big Horn!" Toby yelled as they snaked their way through the Gallatin Gateway, dropping down into some of the most beautiful landscape Sarah or Toby had ever seen.

"Baby Big Horn!" Sarah shouted back, everyone cooed over the mother big horn sheep and its baby as they drove past.

Toby gasped when he saw the next sight. "Elk!" a whole heard of them had come in to the valley. A big bull elk, most likely the leader of the heard, stood majestically watching the cars as they rolled past. He had clumps of soil and grass and branches hanging from his massive antlers. It reminded Sarah of goblin decorating. She held in a laugh at the thought.

They continued this game until they were both satisfied with the animal sightings they collected. Sarah watched out her window as they rolled on a bit longer, finally coming upon a small town called Gardiner, which was the last town they would see for at least a week as far as Sarah knew, as a matter of fact she wasn't sure at all how long they would be here, no one ever asked. "Gardiner sits right between Gallatin National Forest and Yellowstone National Park." Robert said as they drove south out of the town, officially in Yellowstone. Sarah would be so excited to camp anywhere here, the photography opportunities were endless. She was so happy she invested in a good camera and some classes a few years ago.

"This is such an exciting surprise, I didn't realize we were getting to go to Yellowstone!" Sarah beamed.

"Oh honey," Karen laughed "we're not quite there yet, about 15 more minutes and we will arrive!"

"But mom, there's nothing around here, we left the last town already!" Toby was totally lost.

"Really? I can't wait!" Any anxiety Sarah had held earlier was slowly melting away, or at least she thought it was, she couldn't really figure out what her stomach was feeling. It was a mix between excitement and nervousness she finally figured.

"Turn at that sign up there Robert" Karen instructed. Sarah couldn't tell where they were going still. Now on a gravel road they wound their way to the destination.

Sarah sat in shock and awe. Karen and Robert just looked at her and smiled. It was something she had always wanted to do but had never planned on actually doing it. "Really?" was all she could get out.

"Really."

An older guy, probably in his 50's, walked out to greet them, pointing to a covered car port for Robert to park in. Sarah was still speechless. She took in a deep breath, fresh mountain air, hay, and horses filled her nose and she felt alive.

"You must be the Williams family" said the guy, shaking everyone's hand "I'm Zeb, I'm happy to finally meet you all! Robert and I have been planning this for you all for a while now!"

"He's done a great job keeping it a secret too!" said Karen.

"I'm impressed, you never were that tight lipped back in high school!" Said Zeb. On the cue of Sarah and Toby's confused glances Zeb explained. "You're father and I grew up together, all the way through high school, after high school he went to college, and I moved out here to my grandparents ranch and opened up a backpacking facility. And now you're here to experience it!" Zeb grinned.

"Wait, so you mean we're going to go backpacking out here?" Toby seemed very unsure of all of this.

"That's right young man, you'll be spendin nearly 10 days out there. Of course, we've already set up every cabin for the nights of your trip, and have supplies ready and waiting at each one. You'll be introduced to your horses in a little bit, be given a quick run through of how to ride, and then your guide should be here by then." Zeb looked at his watch, shaking his head a bit as he did so.

"You won't be joining us on this trip?" asked Robert.

"No, you're in good hands though. Your guide, J, is a great horseman. He came to us just a couple of months ago from England I think he said? and he's had nothing but wonderful reviews from guests. Go on inside for a bit as I round up a few horses for y'all. Georgia always loves the company, oh, and if that damned white cat tries to get into the house shoo her off the porch. Wicked thing!" Zeb walked toward the barn and corrals where there were horses of all different colors and patterns. Sarah watched the horses in one corral as one chased another, stirring up dust. She was in awe.

Karen smiled at Robert, they made a good decision.

* * *

Zeb gathered several horses up which he figured would agree with each person he observed. In all his time of providing this opportunity to people he became quite good at determining peoples personalities and how much horse each person could handle. Besides the horses each person would be riding he pulled 4 mules out to be ponied along with Kevin, who would take up the back of the group. Kevin was also a new, for the season at least. 13 years old with the aspirations of becoming a full time cowboy, he worked on the ranch and did trails for Zeb now the second year. His bay mare Jean stood in her stall.

"Hey Kev?" Zeb shouted up to the rafters where Kevin usually hung out with the cats during his down time. "Come tack up a few of these horses will you? I think I've finally found a suitable person for Ziggy."

Kevins head swung around to face Zeb as he climbed down the ladder. "You're going to put someone on Ziggy? He's crazy, I don't even think J would touch him!"

Zeb laughed, "Kev, he's picky about who rides him, that's all. There's a girl who has the fire in her to handle him though, and show him that she's the leader."

"Fine, but don't say I didn't warn you." Kevin went and started grabbing the tack which belonged to each horse, making sure every girth was tight enough, all the bits and bridles were adjusted, and the halters for each horse were over, not under, the bridle. A mistake he learned the hard way. When Kevin got to Ziggy he stood there. Horse and boy eyed each other up, as Kevin approached him Ziggy huffed and pawed the ground a bit. Finally after some dancing around, saddle was on and secure, bridle and bit were in place, and halter was securely fastened over top of the bridle. "I don't trust you." Kevin told Ziggy.

* * *

Coming down the last bit of trail J looked at his watch, realizing he was about to be late back from riding in the meadow on Sal, a horse he was training for Zeb. He gave Sal some reign and loped the flat back back into the barn yard

"Ah, there he is, always on time that one." Zeb looked out the window at J and Sal. Sarah glanced in the direction of the new person, her heart fluttered and she barely held a blush from spreading across her face as this gorgeous cowboy lead his horse into the barn. Kevin ran over and whispered something to J, who turned to look at the horses tied to the tie dock. J gave Kevin's shoulder a playful shove and gestured toward the house. Kevin came running up to the porch, but walked into the house, "Hey Zeb, J's back and says he'll tack up Rev and will be ready to take everyone soon. I'll load the mules up." Kevin looked at Sarah, then ran back out. Zeb shook his head. "Whatever you say Kev."

After the Williams' all said thanks to Georgia they filed out of the house and over to the barn where their horses were waiting. "Alrighty folks, wait for my instruction before doing anything, but we're going to lead these horses into the indoor arena, just for safety precaution. Then we're going to figure out which horse each of you is going to ride. I'll take these two, Robert you take that one, Karen, you'll lead her in, Sarah lead him, and I'll get the other two. Toby, why don't you help Kevin with loading the mules up."

Once inside the arena with the gate closed Zeb mounted his horse to demonstrate quickly the basics of horseback riding. Once done, he let his horse wander around while he focused his attention on the Williams' "Karen, this here is Lady, I already know you and her will get along great." Karen was introduced to a pretty mare who was dainty and stylish, fitting right up Karen's alley. "Robert, I think you and Possum will get along great." Zeb helped Karen and Robert mount, while he did so J walked out into the yard where he tied his horse. Sarah glanced over her shoulder at her dreamy cowboy again, catching his backside. Sarah could barely contain herself, horses and a sexy cowboy, her head was spinning.

"Miss Sarah, I wasn't quite sure which horse to pick for you, I want you to hop on this one, but if he doesn't agree with you then we'll put you on Ollie. This is Ziggy, and you'll know pretty quickly if he doesn't want you or not, he's picky." Sarah was directed to a big spotted horse, who eyed her up before shifting his feet a bit. Zeb made sure Ziggy didn't pull any tricks as Sarah got a foot in the stirrup, pulling herself up. Little did she realize she had an audience at the far end of the arena. Kevin, J, and Toby all held their breathes as she situated herself in the saddle. "Feel like I can untie him?" Sarah nodded, she wasn't sure what the big deal was, but suddenly it was as if the air shifted. The second Ziggy felt his lead rope loose he peeled away from the fence, crow-hopping a bit and trying to test Sarah out. Sarah stayed calm though, putting pressure on Ziggy's sides and making him turn back toward the fence. "That's not very nice you know." She said to the horse. Zeb laughed a bit, but then realized that Ziggy was just standing there now, a little irritated, but he was just standing. "Well Sarah, consider yourself special because Ziggy likes you. Usually he will let you know immediately if you're not allowed to ride him, and then if he lets you on you have to pass his little test, both of these things you have accomplished." J, Kevin, and Toby clapped from the end of the arena.

Sarah blushed, but felt a sense of power. She made a kissing sound to Ziggy and squeezed, guiding him to a trot around the arena. She wasn't sure why she felt she needed to show off, but she just did.

"Toby, come over here young man, I have a horse for you too. Now, with a very ironic name, I introduce you to Spooks. Ironic because, well, you'll see." He loaded Toby up onto the horse and untied the rope. Toby kicked his sides a little, clucked, waved his arms around. Nothing, Spooks simply stood there, and if horses could raise an eyebrow, this horse just did. "Hey Karen, come over here." Karen walked her horse over, and Spooks immediately lightened up. "Toby, you and Spooks will need to stay near your mom and Lady. Spooks and Lady are friends, and Spooks will follow Lady anywhere, so as long as you're behind them you'll keep moving." Karen started to walk her horse off, and Toby clucked to Spooks, who caught up to Lady.

J smiled, and walked back to his horse while placing his cowboy hat back on his head. His Sarah, somewhat alone with him in the mountains. His mind swarmed with the endless possibilities

 **I'm 99.9% sure I haven't read another Labyrinth fic with this theme... and that may or may not be for a reason, and there may very well be some I just haven't found yet. BUT! It made me smile writing this. Maybe that's because I am a horse crazy girl, maybe it's because I enjoy sweet sweet fluff. It's not something many readers are interested in I don't think... so if you don't continue reading after this then that's fine by me, (but pls just go quietly if that's the case.)**

I couldn't help but think though _'hmm, Jareth shirtless on a horse, slo-mo gallop... sexy'_

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ALSO: I'm totally horse-geeking out. The barn name of the horse that inspired Sarah's horse actually is Ziggy. It just felt right to make him her horse.

If you're just so interested, I have a list of the real life horses which inspired the main characters horses in my story. They might be kind of difficult to find, I think the hardest to find were The Englishman and Non Stop Flight. If you look up 'The Englishman Appaloosa' his pictures will show up, and if you look up 'No Stop Flight Stallion' the fifth link down, equinenow, has lots of pictures. Don't click allbreedpedigree when looking up these (if you choose to) unless you're excited to look at bloodlines, they don't have pics. But super interesting if you're into that kinda thing (I am.)

Jareth - Lone Guns Revolution

Robert - The Englishman

Karen - Jacked Up Mobster

Sarah - Non Stop Flight

Toby - Spooks Full Throttle


	4. Chapter 4

**Yeah I know, it's short. Get over it.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Henson characters.**

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"Be safe, and have fun!" Zeb shouted as the train of horses and people headed out and into the mountains. J led the group, followed by Robert, then Sarah, then Karen, with Toby right behind her but by Kevin, his new best friend. Video games? Those were so yesterday.

As the group filed along the trail across the meadow Robert caught up to J. "Hi I'm Robert, nice to meet you." He stuck out a hand while his other still held the reins.

"Pleased to meet you finally Robert, I've heard much about you. Call me J." he stuck out his hand and returned the handshake. "You and Zeb have a long history I hear." He was trying to make good conversation, all with one central goal in mind of course.

"Yes, Zeb and I grew up together, and we've still kept in touch over the years. He mentioned you're from England?"

"Yes, I was out here long ago, and decided to come back for a while. Zeb had just lost one of his trail guides and I figured, why not? Now here I am."

"You make yourself sound old, you don't look that old." Robert was never a great conversationalist.

J laughed, "Ah, well, I'm only 30, but I've been told I'm an old soul!" He smiled as he scanned the meadow.

"My daughter, Sarah, is 25, going on 26. Nice to see someone her age she can talk to."

"I haven't met her yet, but conversation with a person my age is welcome. Zeb is great, but I've heard many of his same stories many times now. And Kevin, well, he's still but a boy." The smirk threatening to grace his lips. Yes, very welcome indeed.

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Sarah was mostly by herself in the middle of the pack, behind the cowboy and her dad, but ahead of Karen and the two boys. Her camera hung around her neck as she tried to focus on Ziggy but also searching for things to photograph. "So, Ziggy." Sarah held the reins and saddle horn in her left hand as her right hand stayed at the ready for her camera. "I hear you're a trouble maker, huh?" She looked down at her horse, who she swore must have heard her because of his well-timed grunt. "I see… I've been known to make trouble too." She raised her camera to take a picture of her father and the cowboy with the mountains they were headed toward in the near distance. Ziggy tossed his head a bit, probably flies, but all of his actions seemed in response to her questions.

Robert slowed his horse down a bit and Sarah soon ended up walking along-side him as they drew closer to the climb to the first cabins for the night. "You should go introduce yourself, I'm sure he'd talk about horses with you. No one else seems to know much about them in this family."

Sarah's stomach flipped and she barely held a blush back. She turned away and held her camera up, taking a picture of nothing in particular as she regained some composure. "I may." Was all she said in response.

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The cabin they would all be staying in was in sight now. What looked to be an old stage-coach rest stop was refurbished. The coral and lean-to type structure for the horses was connected to the cabin. It looked nice as far as Sarah could tell, a covered front porch with chairs, a camp-fire pit and some logs sat out front, maybe two stories?

J trotted his horse ahead and opened the corral gate. Each person rode inside where they dismounted and tied their horse to the fence to be untacked. J dismounted and left his horse undone, wandering around the yard grazing calmly. After every person was helped taking off tack and placing it all outside the fences they were given brushes and picks to groom with. "You all wanted the full experience." J laughed when Toby complained.

"We'll be staying here two nights, tomorrow we'll ride up to the peak of this ridge and get a great view. Kevin and I will unload the mules while you all finish-up here. Remember to take halters off and hang them away from the fences, or you won't have a halter by the morning. Services for halter destroying provided by Spooks." Everyone laughed as they finished the work for the night.

It was still light out as everyone gathered around the giant table, made for at least 12 seats. Hamburgers and chips was tonight's meal, since they were only staying at this cabin for one night the supplies were pre-delivered for the correct amount of meals served. Everyone helped in clearing the table and putting away cookware while J went outside to light the camp-fire. Sarah was putting graham crackers and marshmallows on a tray when she looked out the window. The setting sun through the tree line and the fire coming to life bathed J in a golden light. Sarah bit the inside of her cheek to keep from smiling. She hadn't even made eye contact with this guy and she was already swept away.

Karen cracked a smile as she leaned on the counter next to Sarah, who was oblivious to her presence. She nudged Sarah, "You should talk to him." Sarah looked at her, horrified she had been caught ogling. She was at a loss for words.

"Do you have the chocolate ready?" Sarah asked, avoiding eye contact. She decided instead to focus on the marshmallows.

"Yes, let's head out there." Karen grabbed the tray of chocolate she held and sticks to roast marshmallows on, smirking at Sarah as they headed out to the campfire.

"It's almost ready, give it a few minutes to catch and we'll be set." J said towards Karen as he went to grab several larger pieces of wood for the fire. Toby and Robert were finished up the dishes then came outside to join the party. The trays of goodies made their way around the fire and everyone was happily roasting their marshmallows and making a mess as they ate the final product.

J sat opposite of Sarah, the fire between them too hot to look past. Sarah was grateful for the fire, both so he didn't have a chance of getting caught staring at her new crush, and also because when she looked in the general direction of, or karen made a reference to him, Sarah could blame the heat in her cheeks on the fire. 'Damnit Sarah, you're twenty-five, yet you act like a 13 year old who's never found love.' She thought to herself. 'get a grip.'

The fire died down and the air got colder. Karen and the two young boys went inside to go to bed, leaving Sarah to stare into the fire, her thoughts to herself. J pulled a guitar out and was strumming some chords, and Robert snuck one more marshmallow in before he went in for the night.

Sarah didn't realize how late it was or how cold she was, even with the fire blazing right in front of her. Suddenly there was a weight around her shoulders and a warmth surrounding her, her senses came back to her and she inhaled sharply. "Thanks." She croaked out. She looked over to J who had sat near her, the barely glowing embers all that was left to give light. "How late is it?" She felt almost scared to talk to him, so she looked at the place where the fire once was.

"A little after eleven I believe." J sat with his elbows on his knees next to Sarah. "I don't think I've officially been introduced to you yet, please call me J." he extended his hand to her, 'at least call me that for now' he thought. When Sarah took his hand he simply shook it, fighting the urge to bring it to his lips. 'too soon.'

"Pleased to meet you J, I'm Sarah, though I'm sure Karen or my father have already told you that." Sarah rolled her eyes about it, but it was too dark for anyone to tell.

"They may have mentioned it, maybe once or twice." He said with a laugh. "I see you've made peace with Ziggy, that's impressive. I'm not sure if Zeb told you because he didn't want to scare you off him, but you're the first person who has been able to get Ziggy past the barn yard and onto a trail without being ponied. Also the first person who has stayed on him longer than a few minutes." He was incredibly proud of his Sarah. She could make friends with the most unagreeable creatures.

"Uh, thanks." Sarah laughed a bit "I've always been in love with horses, but the extent of my riding has been at a barn about an hour from where I live, so not much." Nerves ate at Sarah.

"That makes it all the more impressive. I'm sure I'll get to see more of this miracle in action tomorrow, but right now I think you should get to bed. We're going to head up to the ridge early in the morning to see the sunrise." J stood, lending Sarah a hand up. When their hands touched Sarah could nearly feel an electricity between them. She gave him her thanks and headed into the cabin, J following behind after he was sure he choked out the fire completely. "Sweet dreams, Sarah." J mumbled and smiled as he walked into his own room.

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 **That was really short. It's kind of a trend with this story I guess. No marathon chapters here (lookin at you, unposted final chapter of A Model Queen). But I'm really working on getting them longer! So here's this until I post my next chapters, which will be more frequent since I've finished part one of A Model Queen now.**

 **FRIENDS, FAN-FOLK, COUNTRYMEN! LEND ME YOUR FEEDBACK.**

 _seriously, please review/give suggestions_


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